WMHO Relaunches “Windows through Time - Journals of Revolutionary War Spies”

March 22, 2012 - PRLog -- Stony Brook, NY – Should 4th through 8th grade students be involved in espionage?  They should and they are as they take on the roles of historical characters such as Army Major Benjamin Tallmadge, Benjamin Franklin and Benedict Arnold in Ward Melville Heritage Organization’s “Windows through Time - Journals of Revolutionary War Spies.”  This acclaimed distance learning program relaunches as an interactive Reader’s Theater on March 26 at 10 am at WMHO’s Educational & Cultural Center in Stony Brook in an amazing collaboration with schools across the country.

Comprising an educational kit, videoconference and post-program activities, students immerse themselves in role playing in this theatrical presentation of how the Setauket’s Culper Spy Ring members kept George Washington aware of the movements of the British on Long Island and Manhattan during the Revolutionary War. In this cutting-edge interdisciplinary program students learn about the chemistry of invisible ink, decipher secret codes, and learn how ordinary people made a difference during the Revolutionary War.  It is believed that Anna Smith Strong, who used a special configuration of laundry on her clothesline from her home in Strong’s Neck to signal Caleb Brewster when the British were nearby, was the only female member of the spy ring.  Students absorb first-hand noted entanglements of the ring with the nation’s most infamous spy of all, Benedict Arnold. As students read, write and perform, their classrooms come alive with these historical accounts and Benedict Arnold’s betrayal as it relates to the Culper Spy Ring’s greatest coup of all, their warning to Washington about the pending attack by the British.

Dressed in period clothing, Anna Smith Strong, played by actress Megan Martin, interacts through state of the art video conferencing equipment with students in Long Island, New Hampshire, Tennessee or Kentucky as they enthusiastically bang their desks chanting “down with the loyalists” or “down with the patriots,” and role-play as Austin Roe, Thomas Paine and Culper Spy Robert Townsend from the setting of a colonial tavern, their classroom.



Students are provided with extensive pre and post kit materials including theatre assignments in a Facebook-like template contrasting the gathering place for exchange of ideas today and in colonial times. Students may be assigned to Anna Strong’s “friends” network and those contacts can be either “for” or “against” independence from England.

The March 26th program will host Pollard Elementary School in Plaistow, New Hampshire. The best and the brightest in educational programming are involved in this effort, including Professor Lauren Kaushansky, University at Stony Brook, Professional Education Program, Department of History and Jennifer Mullany and her 2011 Honors art class at Ward Melville High School. WMHO President Gloria Rocchio says, “We are indebted to Professor Kaushansky for bringing her many talents to this program. This is an excellent example of schools committed to working with content providers offering vital programming for our nation’s youth.”

Program is aligned to meet National and New York State Common Core Standards and BOCES Arts-in-Education reimbursable and is available by appointment.  Cost is $150 per program.  WMHO’s Cultural Center is located at 111 Main Street in the rear of the Stony Brook Village Center.  For further information call 631-751-2244 or visit www.wmho.org.

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Founded in 1939, WMHO is a not-for-profit corporation that develops and fosters community enrichment through cultural and educational experiences. WMHO accomplishes this by enhancing and interpreting its historic and environmentally sensitive properties and by utilizing state-of-the-art technology. For more information, please visit www.wmho.org.